Russian Tu-22M3 bomber crashes in Arctic, 2 dead and 2 Injured

Two crew members of a Tu-22M3 have died and two more were injured during a hard landing in Russia’s Murmansk region, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The incident occurred at 13:40 local time at Olenegorsk Air Base, Tu-22M3 long-range bomber aircraft crashed on landing while making a routine training mission.

According to preliminary information, on board were four crew members, two of them – the commander and navigator – survived.

“On 22 January, the Tu-22M3, after completing a scheduled training flight in the Murmansk region, made a hard landing when it encountered heavy snow… According to a report, two pilots were taken to a medical facility, where they’re receiving the necessary assistance. Two crew members were killed”, the ministry said in a statement.

The bomber wasn’t carrying weapons, according to the ministry’s statement that was carried by Russian news agencies. There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash.

Russia’s Defence Ministry was not immediately able to confirm any casualties.

The crash is under investigation, the Russian news agencies said.

The Tu-22M3 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau and designed to destroy naval and ground targets at a distance of up to 2,200 km from home-based airfields with guided missiles and bombs.